Pilonidal Cyst
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Causes & Risk Factors

What causes pilonidal cysts?

Doctors disagree on the causes for pilonidal cysts. Some doctors think that ingrown hairs may be the cause. Ingrown hairs are loose hairs that re-enter the skin though pressure from skin rubbing skin, tight clothing or long periods of sitting. Other doctors think that pilonidal cysts form around a ruptured hair follicle (the structure from which a hair grows).

Some babies are born with a small dimple just above the crease of the buttocks, called a sacral dimple. Sacral dimples can become infected and form a pilonidal abscess.